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James Franklin sent a message to the New Zealand selectors about his allround ability with an unbeaten 173 against Auckland. His innings contained 22 fours and three sixes and helped Wellington to an imposing 436 for 5 at stumps in reply to Auckland’s 235. Franklin was dropped for the final two one-day internationals against the West Indies after some uninspired bowling and will be keen to press his credentials as an allrounder ahead of the Test series. Franklin was not the only centurion, with Neal Parlane (110) also passing three figures. Matthew Bell (58) and Chris Nevin (48 not out) cashed in as well. Lance Shaw took 3 for 90.Canterbury will take a handy advantage over Northern Districts into the third day of the match after a number of useful contributions enabled them to post a first innings lead of 41 with three wickets remaining. At the top of the order Gary Stead made 51 and Michael Papps a laboured 45. There were cameos from Craig McMillan (23) and Chris Harris (22), before Andrew Ellis (57) and Todd Astle (41) put on 82 for the sixth wicket. Canterbury ended the day on 310 for 7. Joseph Yovich was costly, but his 18 overs also saw him capture 3 for 91.Central Districts were in the box seat at New Plymouth after posting a first-innings total 416 and watching Otago go to stumps at 191 for 5. Central resumed day two on 275 for 6 and made it past 400 thanks to half-centuries from Bevan Griggs, the wicketkeeper, and Brendon Diamanti. David Sewell was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 87. Otago began the long chase for first innings comfortably enough, but trouble struck late in the day when the impressive Jordan Sheed was out 11 shy of his maiden first-class century. Otago’s hopes rested with Neil Broom, who battled to 34 not out. Min Patel, the former England spinner, bowled Otago to a virtual standstill with his 1 for 20 off 18 overs.

Lots to think about: Stephen Fleming contemplates life as an opener after making 0 and 1© Getty Images

The rain was the major discussion point at the post-match presentation, where Adam Gilchrist was named Man of the Match for his 162 from 146 balls. Ricky Ponting was disappointed Australia would have to go to Auckland to seal the series, and Stephen Fleming said a host of changes would be considered before the final Test.Ricky Ponting
On the match
It’s been a pretty disappointing week. We’ve done everything we possibly could to get a result, but the weather hasn’t been kind to us. Now we have to play well at Auckland.On pushing for the win today
We had enough time to win [if the rain stayed away], but we had to bowl well. If we had 60-odd overs at them we would’ve had enough chances, but that’s all hindsight.On the innings of Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist
Damien wasn’t as solid as he would have liked early on, but he got through the early period and played beautifully. Gilly was his normal self, aggressive from the word go, that was crucial for us to set up the rest of the game.On the bowling performance
There was no let off from the three fast bowlers and then Warney comes on. There was enough in the wicket with the new ball all the way through, and there was enough there for Warney, but we’ve come away with a drawOn Michael Kasprowicz getting his 100th wicket
We’d spoken about it before the innings and it’s a great milestone for him. He’s been in and out of side, but now he’s been outstanding and has cemented his place.Stephen Fleming
On being saved by the rain
It got us out of jail so we’re not too disappointed with it. We had an opportunity on the first morning, which we didn’t take, then we were on the back foot with Gilchrist’s batting. It was disjointed weather-wise, but there were still areas of concern.On why the players are not performing
Part of it is pressure, being put under pressure by Australia and not responding.On his batting and scores of 0 and 1
I’m disappointed I’m not doing my job, which is first and foremost to score runs at the top of the order and help the guys out. My stats are poor and I’ve got work to do before the next Test.On changes for the next Test
There are a lot of thoughts about a lot things that will be digested and discussed tonight. Hopefully we can sort those out and steal the last Test.On the success of Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent
We need Vettori to be assisted, we’ve got to give him some runs to help him. Vincent got some runs and that is the key thing for the top order, they have to get the job done. That’s going to be the philosophy for the Sri Lanka series as well, there’s still a lot of Test cricket to be played.Adam Gilchrist
On Australia’s display
It was a good all-round performance but we were frustrated by the weather. The openers Justin [Langer] and Matty [Hayden] really did the hard work on a wicket that helped their fast bowlers, Marto [Damien Martyn] gusted it out when it was doing a bit more, and great credit to the bowlers for knocking them over.On his super form
I’m seeing the ball well, which is an indicator for me that it’s going well. I’m looking at the ball, really focussing on it in the bowler’s hand, which I’ve never done before. I started it in one-dayers after a few low scores.On closing in on Chris Cairns’s six-hitting world record
Mine just clear the rope, Cairnsy’s usually go out of the ground. They’re statistics that as players were not really aware of. It’s not an intentional thing

Brett Lee: recalled for Australia’s game against Zimbabwe ©Getty Images

Brett Lee, who was savaged by India’s batsmen in the recently concluded 3 Test series, has been recalled to the squad for the VB Series match against Zimbabwe at the Bellerive Oval on Friday (starting 2300 GMT Thursday). Brad Hogg also gets a look in, with Jason Gillespie and Ian Harvey being rested for the game.Lee took eight wickets in two Tests against India, but they came at a cost of 59.5 apiece. In the first innings at Sydney, he went for 201, the first genuinely fast bowler to suffer such an indignity in the game’s history. Ricky Ponting, who has led Australia to victories in their first two games of the tri-nation tournament, reckoned that Lee was now ready to set the record straight.”He probably wasn’t bowling well a couple of weeks ago and that’s why we decided to give him a rest,” said Ponting. “I think he was a bit tired, which was hindering the way he could bowl and the way he could perform, so we’ve given him a bit of time to recover and I’m sure you’ll see him perform better over the next couple of weeks.”The decision to rest Gillespie was no surprise, given the load he has had to shoulder since coming back from a calf injury for the Sydney Test. With Brad Williams in splendid form, Australia clearly fancy their chances of knocking over Zimbabwe, even with their premier fast bowler on the sidelines.”Jason’s been up for a while, played a fair bit of cricket and is bowling well at the moment, and with the tournament the way it is at the moment, it just presented itself to give him a bit of a rest,” said Ponting. Zimbabwe’s top order will need to show a great deal more skill and pluck if they are to take advantage of his absence.Australia squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan, Brad Hogg, Andy Bichel, Brett Lee, Brad Williams.

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 AAP – Australia snared four wickets before lunch here today to pile the pressure on England in the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG.The tourists were 7-185 on day three, needing another 166 runs to make Australia bat again after the home side declared its first innings yesterday at 6 (dec)-551.Craig White smashed two sixes off leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and was the top-scorer with 36, while James Foster had made eight.MacGill, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee had two wickets apiece.The large block of English fans in the crowd predictably had a loud reception for Lee when he bowled the first over of the morning.Lee’s team-mate Justin Langer called them a “disgrace” yesterday for chanting “no ball” every time the paceman bowled.So the Barmy Army did so even louder today for Lee’s first few deliveries.Lee responded with another scorching spell of pace bowling, trapping Robert Key for a second-ball duck after MacGill removed nightwatchman Richard Dawson for the first wicket of the day.Nasser Hussain then tried to sweep MacGill on 24, but only managed an inside edge onto his pad.Short leg Matthew Hayden dived across the pitch to take a great catch, with Hussain unwilling to walk.John Crawley combined with White for a stand of 59, before Crawley tried to pull Gillespie from off stump and ballooned a catch to Langer at mid-wicket.

Fast bowler Andy Blignaut, the star of Zimbabwe’s victory in thesecond Test against India at Harare on Monday, is not overawed byreputations and feels the right line and length yield results againstany batsman.Blignaut took six wickets in the Test to bag the man-of-the-matchaward. Having accounted for Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman twice in theTest series and Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly once, he was worthmore than the nine wickets he picked up from the two games.”I don’t get overawed by reputations,” Blignaut said. “I just wantedto bowl in the channel, on or outside the off-stump.”The 22-year-old seamer has ambitions of becoming the Lance Klusener ofZimbabwe – a powerful hitter in the lower order and a more than usefulfast-medium bowler. But he didn’t have the right approach – until now.”He was a spoilt rich kid. He had that air about him where he couldn’tcare any less about anything or anyone else,” says former Zimbabwecaptain Dave Houghton who coached Blignaut at the CFX Academy.”Having said that, one must appreciate how quickly he realised he mustwork hard to get back into the international arena. Also, he is one ofthe cleanest strikers of a cricket ball I have seen. He once hitDamien Fleming of Australia for three successive sixes in a one-dayinternational in Bulawayo, all whistling clean hits,” Houghton said.After a couple of such powerful innings against Australia, Blignautwas let down by his back and he was out of international cricket forseveral months.”I’ve been struggling with a stress fracture. One of the vertebrae ofmy back was cracked,” Blignaut said. “That’s put me out for six orseven months.”Andy, as he is called though his given name is Arnoldus, was out ofcricket between December 1999 and February 2000, missing the hometours by South Africa and Sri Lanka, and the triangular tournament inSouth Africa also involving England.”I have tried to become a bit more of a front-on bowler instead of aside-on bowler to conserve my back,” Blignaut said.When he was growing up, Blignaut was advised to bowl leg-spin so thathis body could avoid the strain of fast bowling. But his heart was inpace bowling and he soon returned to his old style.Bowling for him has always come naturally and he received littlecoaching in his early years. He did spend some time at the MRF PaceFoundation at Chennai, along with Brighton Watambwa, where DennisLillee assured him that he had the right action for a bowler ofgenuine pace.Blignaut still does not have a contract with the Zimbabwe CricketUnion and is paid roughly $150 per game.”I hope to have a contract with the ZCU soon. I had a chronic backinjury and they probably felt I wasn’t worth the risk,” he said.

This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s Talking Tactics series, where we analyse two changes a manager should make in their upcoming fixture.

Leeds United travel to Molineux this evening to face Wolves, looking to build on Jesse Marsch’s first win as manager against Norwich last time out.

The Whites have the chance to stretch the gap between themselves and the relegation zone and have Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper available for selection for the first time since December, meaning Marsch has some tough selection decisions to make.

Kalvin Phillips starts

Leeds have missed Phillips in recent months, with Marsch now going with a double six in midfield compared to Marcelo Bielsa’s 4-1-4-1 system.

Phillips is used to playing in a similar role for England alongside Declan Rice, so it would make sense for Marsch to hand the 26-year-old an immediate start, given he has selected three different midfield options in his three games as boss. [SofaScore]

Adam Forshaw and Mateusz Klich were picked against Norwich, meaning one of those two would have to make way for Phillips to come in, and having been selected as the Three Lions’ player of the year in this exact role, starting the returning superstar is a no brainer.

Pascal Struijk axed

Struijk hasn’t had the best of times under Marsch despite playing every minute of action under the new boss.

He was outperformed by Luke Ayling against Leicester, failed to make an interception against Aston Villa and was outperformed again by Diego Llorente against Norwich. [SofaScore]

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Marsch now has Cooper, Leeds’ best-rated centre-back, as per WhoScored, available to play, so it could make sense to hand Struijk a rest. Robin Koch is another option to come in for start, although that would leave Leeds with two right-footed centre-backs, providing Llorente keeps his place in the side.

In other news: ‘I know…’ – Journalist drops major Leeds claim on Orta after what he’s heard from Elland Road. 

	South Africa’s quick bowlers are taking a while to adjust to Bangladesh conditions © AFP

South Africa’s build-up to their two-Test series against Bangladesh has hardly been ideal. Firstly there was the selection row before the team left home, then the bowlers took a hammering during their warm-up match against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI.The Test attack was taken for 412 in a little more than 100 overs with only Johan Botha coming out with anything like complimentary figures. However, coach Mickey Arthur believes his side are shaping up nicely ahead of the first Test on Friday despite Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel returning combined figures of 5 for 219 from 57 overs.”We had a long chat soon after we arrived from Fatullah Stadium. We opened up to speak about all aspects of our game and that included the plans for the two Tests that we are heading into from Friday,” Arthur told the . “We have come to the realisation that Bangladesh will not roll over and die in their conditions. They will be a difficult batting side to dislodge if we approach the Tests in the manner we played their Board XI.”Arthur said the team’s fast bowlers will have to adapt and can’t expect to run in and blast sides out as they might do on the surfaces back in South Africa. “We spoke about our bowling and have decided that we have to be a little more defensive in our approach to field placings. The bowlers will have to be a lot more circumspect about their lines and lengths and the channels they bowl to gain success.”Although there wasn’t time for South Africa to gain much of a second innings, Arthur was pleased with the warm-up match. “I believe we got a lot out of the game, but there’s still a lot to do. We’ll be working hard over the two remaining days before the Test to get to where we want to be.”Andre Nel, recovering from a hamstring injury, was restricted to eight overs against the BCB XI as he recovers from a hamstring injury and Arthur said he will be assessed closer to the start of the Test.

Manoj Tiwary’s dream season continued as he stroked 89 to help East Zone scamper home by three runs against North Zone at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing 239 under lights, Pankaj Dharmani and Dinesh Mongia’s half centuries went in vain as North were restricted to 235 in their 50 overs.It was a counter-attacking innings by Tiwary, who walked in with the score at 16 for 2. VRV Singh and Ishant Sharma, the North Zone seamers, made early inroads to reduce the opposition to 27 for 4. Tiwary and captain Deep Dasgupta led the rescue act with a stand of exactly 150 for the fifth wicket. Tiwary, who survived a chance at second slip early in his innings, went on the attack, striking seven fours and two sixes. Dasgupta made a steady 63 off 80 balls and played the supporting role to Tiwary. Singh finished with figures of 4 for 44.Mongia, who top-scored with 71, led North’s chase and dominated the fourth-wicket stand with Paras Dogra. However, a double strike by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala pulled things back for East Zone. Tiwary played his part with his legbreaks as well, picking up a wicket in a tight 10-over spell, conceding just 35 runs. Dharmani and Bipul Sharma upped the tempo towards the end but it wasn’t enough to go the distance.

The Pakistan International Airlines batsmen staged a splendid fightback, as they finished the third dayof their Patrons Trophy Quadrangular Stage match against Habib Bank with an overall lead of 296 with three second-innings wickets remaining.After having earlier surrendered a 19-run first-innings lead to Habib Bank, PIA reached 315 for 7 in their second innings by close of play on the third day. Ghulam Ali followed his 79 on the first day with another valuable knock of 84, off 162 balls in just over four-and-a-quarter hours with 10 fours and a six. At stumps, Bazid Khan, PIA’s stand-in captain, and Najaf Shah, the left-arm pace bowler, were at the crease on 38 apiece, having added 73 for the eighth wicket.Earlier, Ghulam Ali and Yasir Hameed (30) had put on 71 for the second wicket. Then, Ghulam was joined by Asif Mujtaba (45) as another 105 were made added for the third wicket. Four wickets fell with only 24 scored before Bazid and Najaf steadied the ship.On a day cut short by bad light, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) reached a first innings score of 214 for 6 on the first day of their Patrons Trophy match against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Sheikhupura Stadium .At the forefront of PTCL’s late fightback was an unbeaten 59 by Asim Kamal, Pakistan’s left-handed middle-order Test batsman. Kamal scored his runs off 122 balls in under three hours with nine boundaries.Earlier, after PTCL had been put in, they lost their first three wickets with only 14 on the board. Aamer Bashir, the captain, then helped take the score to 54 in partnership with Usman Tariq. Aamer’s 55 came off 87 balls with eight fours. Shahzad Malik had to retire hurt but Aamer and Asim helped move the score to 117 for 4, when Aamer was dismissed by Wasim Khan, the fast bowler, who bagged three wickets. Another 97 runs were added till the day’s close, with Asim and Tahir Mughal adding 58 for the seventh wicket.This match was earlier scheduled to start on Friday in Multan, but it was shifted because floodlights are being installed at the Multan Cricket Stadium prior to the ODI between Pakistan and India next month.

Ranga Reddy, the vice president of the Indian boart (BCCI), has invited a select team from the USA’s Central-East Zone (Chicago and Midwest region) on a tour of Hyderabad, where they will play a series of matches against state and district teams. The side will arrive in India on March 6 and will stay until March 15.There are six matches on the schedule. One of them will be a day/night game, and a two-day fixture is also in the cards. Three of the matches will be played in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium (the regular Test and ODI venue in Hyderabad), and the remaining three games will be played in the newly-built stadium at Uppal, also in Hyderabad. The new Uppal stadium is supposed to be among the top five in the world and the US team will be the first overseas team to play there.The US side has not been named but it is likely to include top players from other regions than the US Midwest as well. Among the names mentioned are allrounder Duane Nathaniel of Florida, an U-19 Allstar at the US Nationals in 2004; opening batsman Amer Afzaluddin, former U-19 All-Americas captain in 2002 who played for USA in 2003 and 2004, and Amjad Khan from New York, former first-class cricketer who is the only person to have scored a triple century in an official limited-overs league match anywhere in the world. Other players who may make the trip are Nasir Javed and Roy Weekes from Florida, Rashid Afzal from New York, Jignesh Desai and Hitesh Patel of New Jersey, and Dawood Ahmed and Zaheer Chano from Maryland.This may not be the strongest team that could be selected to represent the USA, but it has an interesting blend of youth and experience. Amer and Nathaniel are youngsters who have shown promise in recent years, and veterans Amjad Khan and Nasir Javed (who had the best bowling performance for Team USA in the Champions Trophy) lend needed experience to the squad. Conspicuously missing are many senior players who have played for the USA in recent years, and who earned the "geriatric" label that has haunted Team USA since the Champions Trophy.Now it remains to be seen whether this younger and less experienced team from the USA will at least be able to exorcise that image by how they perform in India. That, more than how many matches they win or lose, will be the acid test of their temperament.